Electric railway



(No Model.) I

I. ROBBINS.

ELECTRIC RAILWAY.

Patented Nov. 13, 1888.

WITNESSES:

lbQ/ENTOR:

W W W UNITED STATES PATENT FFIQE IRA ROBBINS, OF CAMDEN, NEWV JERSEY, ASSIGNOE OF ONETIALF TO VVIL- LIAM NUNEVILLER, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

ELECTRIC RAILWAY.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 392,971, dated November 13, 1888.

(No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, IRA ROBBINS, a citizen of the United States, residing in the city and county of Camden, State of New Jersey, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Electric Railways, which improvement is fully set forth in the following specification and accompanying drawings.

My invention relates to improvements in electric railways of that type in which the current is carried on a conductor in a conduit; and its objects are, first, to provide a conduit for the contact-brush carried by the car,which shall be so constructed as to maintain the con- :5 ductor in an insulated position, and thereby be free from dirt or moisture. Its objects are, further, to provide an improved form of contact-brush with resilient connections for overcoming the evil effects due to the jolting of the car. I accomplish these objects by the devices hereinafter disclosed, but particularly pointed out in the claims which-follow this specification.

The invention will be better understood by referring to the drawings accompanying this specification, in which- Figure 1 represents a cross-sectional view through the road-bed of a street-railway, showing my improved conduit in cross-section and a pair of car-wheels sustaining my improved form of contact-brush. Fig. 2 represents a longitudinal elevation through the frame of the car-truck, showing the wheels thereof, the brush-supporting apparatus, and the contact- 3 5 wire and track in elevation.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the several figures.

Referring to the drawings, A represents a car-axle, and B a portion of the car-truck, the

latter having a hanger or frame, 0, which supports the contactbrush D in such manner that it is allowed to conform to the vertical motions of the car. This brush or contact-arm is of metal or other conducting material, and passes from the botttom of the car into the passage or main part H of the conduit, being bent, as

shown, at its lower end in the shape of a letter U, and carrying on its upturned portion a small roller or pulley, E, adapted to bear 5o continuously upon a metallic strip or wire, 13, located in the channel G in the upper corner of the conduit, the inner walls of said channel being properly insulated. The conduit is con structed of any desired material and embedded longitudinally in a block, J. At the top of the conduit is a cover, K, and door M for evident purposes.

On the upper portion of the brush contactarm D is a spring, L, the function of which is to cause the roller or pulley E to bear evenly upon the metallic strip F. This arm D is insulated from the hanger O, and has its upper end connected electrically with one pole of the electric motor (not shown) which propels the car, the other pole'of said motor being connected directly to the car-axles, and through the rails to the generator, the second pole of said generator being connected to the Wire strip F; or these connections may be made through the motor in any desired manner to the arms or extraneous conductors, such matters being obvious to those skilled in the art, my invention being limited solely to the devices shown and described, or their substantial equivalents.

The truck-frame B is preferably of metal, and it and the hanger C have sufficient spring to relieve the strain on the contact-arm D and spiral spring L, thereby giving to the whole frame such resiliency of parts as to make the pressure of the roller E on the conductor F as little as possible.

The crossbar O ofthe hanger O is freely fitted to the truck, so that the lateral vibrations of the car do not materially impart strain to the brush or arm D. Connected with the truck in the front of the brush is a depending clearer, N, which freely enters the slot of the conduit, and operates to clear said slot of snow, ice, or any other obstruction therein.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. A conduit for electric railways having a conductor inclosed in a channel in its upper surface and to one side of the center thereof, said conduit being embedded in wooden blocks, substantially as described.

2. A conduit for electric railways having a conductor inclosed in its upper surface and to one side of the center thereof, said conduit being embedded in wooden blocks, the whole bar 0, substantially as and for the purpose set forth. I 5

6. The combination of the conduit having the channel II, with an upper channel, G, the latter having insulating-walls, the continuous strip F in said channel G, and the springcontrolled eontaetarm D,with roller bearing 20 against said strip F, substantially as described.

IRA ROBBINS.

\Nitnesses:

JOHN A. \Vrnnnnsunm A. 1?. JENNINGS. 

